Alaa Hassan

Inter Press Service

June 28, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq

Hassan, 35, an Iraqi freelance reporter for Inter Press Service (IPS), was killed by assailants who sprayed his car with gunfire as he crossed Baghdad's Al-Muthana Bridge, a spot notorious for insurgent attacks.

"It appears he was not targeted but was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, part of the senseless violence engulfing Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003," the news agency reported in July.

Hassan had only recently begun freelancing for the news service. He also managed a stationery store, according to Editor Sanjay Suri. Hassan was not on assignment for IPS at the time of his death, Suri said. "The only way from his neighborhood to central Baghdad was to cross the Al-Muthana Bridge over the Tigris River, a regular spot for insurgent attacks," wrote reporter Aaron Glanz, who worked with Hassan. "Because of an Iraqi police checkpoint and a bend, every car passing over the bridge has to slow down. Killings occur here many times a week."

Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.